Supervisor recommended firing Chatham corrections officer recently charged for drug smuggling
A former Chatham County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Corrections Officer, who was arrested and charged with smuggling drugs into the Chatham County Detention Center (CCDC), was hired after being charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and was previously disciplined for missing multiple shifts, according to a personnel file obtained by the Savannah Morning News via an open records request.
On March 5, Megan Barbee admitted to accepting payments from inmates in exchange for smuggling drugs into CCDC, as previously reported by SMN. That same day, CCSO terminated her contract, according to her personnel file.
The review of Barbee’s work history comes as the CCSO faces increasing scrutiny for hiring employees who are later charged with smuggling drugs into the jail. The arrest of Barbee is at least the fourth arrest of a former CCSO corrections officer or contract worker hired within the past two years.
In February 2023, a nurse practitioner was arrested after being caught stealing medication from an inmate. Also in February 2023, a correctional officer smuggled drugs into the jail using a Styrofoam cup filled with ice. That corrections officer, Georgette Bennett, was alleged to have smuggled drugs at her previous job at Rogers State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia. In May 2023, a jail contract worker for Oasis, the private company that manages the detention center’s commissary, was paid $1,500 to bring in sheets of paper laced with drugs.
More: Chatham County jail corrections officer fired, arrested and charged with smuggling drugs
More: Chatham County Detention Center knew of correctional officer's history of drug smuggling
Spotty work history
An incident report in Barbee's personnel file showed that on March 3, 2013, Barbee was charged by a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) officer with a DUI and following too closely while she was driving south on Pooler Parkway. On July 18 of the same year, the DUI charge was reduced, but Barbee was convicted for following too closely and a failure to exercise due care.
“[The police officer] asked me if I had anything to drink that night,” Barbee recalled in a statement in her CCSO application. “I told him I had three drinks earlier at dinner.”
Barbee explained that she completed a DUI class and 40 hours of community service. After those classes were completed, Barbee added, “I went to court and they dropped everything to failure to exercise due care.”
As she went through the interview process, a CCSO interviewer noted that Barbee was the ex-wife of Pat Barbee, an employee of the CCSO who has since retired. Prior to working at CCDC, Megan Barbee said she had been a homemaker for the past 13 years. On Nov. 21, 2016, CCSO hired Barbee.
A review of her personnel file revealed that she had at least 14 documented tardies from 2019 through 2021, for which she received two letters of reprimand, one 24-hour suspension, one verbal counseling and one citation.
Barbee largely attributed her absences to accidentally oversleeping. In a September 2019 corrective interview form, Barbee attributed her no-shows to overworking, saying that the regular scheduled shift days, mandatory overtime and training new corrections officers “affected my tardiness to [the] extent of being exhausted.”
In a Sept. 13, 2020 note, Barbee said she had been verbally counseled for the issue by supervisors. “I fully take responsibility for my tardiness. With that being said, I have had a multitude of reasons (not excuses) that has made me tardy a few times. These reasons are personal, and I am working very hard on correcting this issue.”
On Jan. 26, 2021, her supervisor recommended termination. “Pvt. Barbee has shown a continuous pattern of failing to call and inform her supervisors when she will not be coming to work. She has been informed several times about her number of no calls no show to work. Because of continuous pattern of being absent from duty, recommendation is termination.”
Instead, CCSO Commander Todd Freeseman suspended Barbee for 24 hours without pay and issued her a letter of reprimand. Barbee continued to work as a member of the jail shakedown team, according to a form in the personnel file.
A supervisor noted, “Pvt Barbee has shown a keen eye when it comes to finding contraband within the facility.”
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Former Chatham jail employee arrested for smuggling had poor work history
